Combined garment and outfit for use with parachutes



March 15, 1932. 1,849,628

COMBINED GARMENT AND OUFIT FOR USE WITH PARACHUTES A`. I EMERclER Filed May 1e, 1930 s sheets-sheet March 15, 1932. A. LEMERcu-:R

COMBINED GARMENT AND OUTFIT FOR USE WITH PARAGHUTES Filed May 16, l930 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I /NVENT0 A M2325 EMS/e c/E A Trae/E Ys March 15, 15932. A. LEMERClER `1,849,628

OMBINED GARMENT AND OUTFIT FOR USE WITH PARACHUTES Filed May 16, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 NDAZ EMEzC/ e By @5m m4- A T Tae/VE ys Patented Mar. l5, 1932 UNITED ANDR LmmERGIER, on PARIS, FBANGEL COMBINED GABMENT AND: OUTFIT. FOB USEv WITH? PARAGILIITES` The present invention relatesto a combinedarrangement'of a; garment' and an outfit adapted for use with-parachutes, in which the stra-pI device or harnesstowhich the; para; chute is attached is disposed in the interior of the: garmentthe same: beingcharacterized:V

by1'the-f-act that the garment sprovidedi inthe interior with slide loops serving as guides when the said harness is placed iir position, and' in which the; wearer slides in the first place the straps forming the said harness, and it is a'lso'provided with; fastening parts suchas attaching 'flaps or lugs-,. buttons etc., which are disp'osed in at suitable points in order to avoid the displacement of' thel harness;

Forrthis purpose, it islpreferable-to' `dispose upon; the' surface o the;V garment a shea-th of the properA size and?` shape to receive the har'- ness@ to which the parachute is attached, it beingA4 provided with apertures: atI suitable points'v tor the insertion andf removaly 02E: the said harnessand for theE insertion ofthe various parts v adapted for,V buckling and fasten;

Onthe other hand, the device accordingto Y the-invention ischaracterizediby the factft'hat the internal harness which ts-properly upon the wearers body, comprises fastening bucklesextending through slots formed in the garment, to which aseparate parachute sack or bagi'sfattached; v

'Ehe advantages obtained by' this arrangement'l are considerable.

In fact, the harness is placed in the interior of the-garment and' isout of'd'anger of catching upon objects, and it is also maintained inthe garment' in a permanentmanner and withoutV displacement, and thus it'can be fastened upon the wearers body when` the garment' is puton,y thisbeing` al necessary op*- eration which isi-however of a simple character. The. user can their employ the very simple attach-ing devices now in use in order to attach the sack and the parachute to his person, since thelharness has been already put on, this constituting inL fact the longest'- and most complicated operation. In this manner, the pilot will' notY suffer from any negligemsceiin this,respect.A Y

On the` otherfhand, the said arrangement, While rendering the outfit independentiper-A mits rto :Verityl as often.y asdesired thesubstantial condition of. the straps of which the out; iit is formed'. Furthermore; sincethe har-V ness can be readily putin: place andi removed?, each. wearer can choose the harness which is most suitable for the-size of his body, andmay thenA adapt it to the garmentV in analmost denite manner. It should however' be. remarked that' this iixed'condition oftheharness is. a relative matter; Another appreciable advantage ofthe-inventionconsists in the factthatrthepilot who remains; for a long period without usingl an aeroplane can re move his harness whileY at the same-timecontinuing tol wear his garment as` protecting clothing' for operationsonl the ground.

Further characteristics of' the' invention will be speciiiedin the following description with reference to the accompanying vdrawinUs which are given by way off'A example. Aiigs. 1 andSQ-relateztothe use ofagarment of thexcombination type, and to a harnessfem ployed' with a dorsal parachute sack, in po-` sition up on the wearer and viewed respective,- ly from the front and side;

Fig. 3i is aview on a larger scale showing certain details of the arrangement of the back part. Y

Fig. 4 shows'the inner face of the para-- chute sack, with` its attaching straps,

Figs; 5 and; 6iv are respectively a si'de` and"` a rear view, showing the method` of attaching the=parachfut`e andsack tothe wearer.

Figs. 7 and 8 are twoA constructional forms off the harness, with: the garment removed.

Fig; 9 shows the use oftheinvention, comprisinga parachute belt disposed inthe trou sers.

The combination garment t comprises near the middle partei the back and? adj acent. the neck (Figs 2i and ,two symmetrical'- slots 2 31' through which extend the ends of two double suspension straps @#5, which are difsposed under the said garment and are attachedi toJ innerbelt 6: Similar slots 7-8 are formed in the shoulder parts of the garmen-t, through which are insertedtwo buckles 9L0, unprovided with tongues, which are attached by lugs 11 12 to the suspension straps 13 14 attached to the belt 6. A. lug or flap 15, provided With spring buttons 16-17, may be brought upon the slots 2 3 in order to cover these latter. Lateral lugs or aps 18 19 which are secured to the shoulder parts and are provided with spring buttons 20 21, serve to cover the slots 7 8. At the exterior of the garment 1 is disposed the usual belt 22.

On the other hand, the harness is completed in the following manner.

The belt 6 is closed at the front part by a buckle 23 (Fig. 1). In one form of construction (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7) the suspension straps 13 14 are extended to the rear, and beyond the belt 6, by the thigh straps 24-25 which are Wound around each leg, proceeding in the rst place upon the upper part of the thigh, being then brought to the front, and after insertion under the belt 6, they are attached by the respective buckles 26-27 to the oppositely-situated suspension strap. It will be observed that by this disposition of the thigh straps, the stress when the parachute is opened will be brought upon the outer sides of the legs, and not upon the inner sides as in the known harness outfits. In the outfit above specified, the suspension straps 4 5 are guided in the loops 28 29 attached to the shoulder straps 13 14 (Fig.

In a second form of construction (Fig. 8) the shoulder straps 80-31 are attached, at the rear, directly to the suspension straps 4 5, which are attached as before to the belt 6. At the front, the shoulder straps are attached to the belt 6 by buckles gi- 33. In this case, the thigh straps consist of the small belts 34-35, secured to the belt 5 by straps 36-37 which are secured at the back part at points near the sides.

In order to attach the parachute sack to the outfits above described, the said sack (Fig. 4) comprises on its front face and at the upper part, the straps 38-39 provided with regulating buckles 40 41, and at the lower part, the loops 42 43. Through the aperture 44 are inserted the suspension members 45 which form an attaching ring.

'Ihe sack is attached in the following manner, at the time of use (Figs. 5 and 6).

'Ihe outfit is placed in position under the garments in such manner as to insert, through the corresponding slots, the suspension straps 4 5 and the buckles 9 10; the belt `22 of the garment is then disposed in the loops 42 43 of the sack, and it is closed at the front. The straps 40-41 are then inserted into the buckles 9 1() and are adjusted to the proper length. The suspension members 45 are attached between the straps 4 5 by a peg 46 which is pierced at the ends with respective holes 47 48 (Fig. 3) by which it may be fastened by pins or by laces which are inserted through said holes and are secured to the said suspension members.

The length of the straps 4() and 41 and of the ring formed by the suspension members 45 will be suflicient to allow a certain freedom of movement to the wearer when seated, without displacing the sack which remains against the back of the seat.

As above stated, the harness is maintained in the garment by loops attached at various places, through which are inserted the belt 6, the shoulder straps 13 14 and the thigh straps .Q4- 25; said loops have a suflicient width to allow a certain play to the garment when the straps are tightened. On the other hand, at the points adjacent the slots 2, 3, 7 and 8, the straps may be attached to the back of the combination garment by buttons or flaps adapted for internal fastening, or in any other suitable manner. Due to this arrangement, the suspension straps 4- 5 and the buckles 9 10 are held in position against all accidental displacement before the parachute sack is attached.

The harness is preferably guided by means of a veritable sheath which is formed at the surface of the garment. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 9, an internal band 46 of cloth, leather or the like is attached by sewing or other means to the waist part of the trousers so as to form a sheath which is open at both ends and thus provides for the insertion of a parachute belt 47 comprising buckles 48 49, known per se, and a notch 50 is formed at its middle part to facilitate the insertion of the belt. The said sheath 1 may also comprise apertures 51-52 at the bottom part, for the insertion of straps 58 54 attached to the belt 47 and serving as thigh straps, known per se. At the lower part of the said sheath may be formed an aperture 55 through which may be inserted a flap or lug 56 attached to the belt and carrying a ring 57 to which may be attached the parachute straps.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the forms of construction herein described and represented, nor to the' constructions of the several parts which have been more particularly indicated, but it comprises all modifications of the same.

In particular, it may be utilized, aside from the types of garments above specified, with all classes of garments, such as clothing made in several pieces, cloaks, etc.

On the other hand, in addition to the dorsal sacks, it may also be used with all other types of parachute sacks, such as seat sacks, cockpit sacks etc. In such applications, the suspension straps of the parachute are suitably extended, and may be held by guiding flaps or lugs comprising spring buttons, provided upon the garment, so as to offer no prejudice to the wearers movements.

The aforesaid harness may be varied as desired, and for instance the thigh straps may be dispensed with, and herein the belt strap is preferably made Wider, for the better distrbution of the shock when the parachute is opened. The said harness may even consist simply of a belt of suitable Width.

I claim:

A11 outfit used in connection'wth para- Y chutes, comprising in combination, a garment, a harness provided with a belt to which the parachute is attached and bands on the internal surface of said garment, said bands forming a sheath surrounding said belt.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

15 ANDR LEMERCIER. 

